In March 2024, our 18^th international Research in Distance Education and e-Learning RIDE conference theme is:

Learning: anything, everywhere but how?

Online, blended, and digital education are firmly established in mainstream practice in higher education. We expect that learning can take place everywhere, and that we can learn anything; but, faced with so many possibilities, what have we learned in recent years about effective ways to engage learners in successful learning in these different modes of education?

To explore the question of how and what leads to successful learning, we will consider the following sub-themes:

• Emerging pedagogies & methodologies
• Emergent technologies
• Belonging and wellbeing
• Assessment for learning
• Internationalisation and transnational education

Our virtual and in person conference, taking place across two days, will focus on research and scholarly practices in online, distance, blended, hybrid and hyflex higher education. The conference seeks to provide a supportive platform for scholarly, research and practice-informed engagement within these modes of education, linked to opportunities for the dissemination of selected conference contributions through CODE channels.

Building on our RIDE 2023 conference (https://www.london.ac.uk/centre-online-distance-education/events/ride-2023-sustaining-innovation-research-and-practice) , we will continue to explore how people-focussed practices have and can be designed and developed through innovation that is sustainable for people, organisations and the planet.

We welcome students to our conference as attendees and presenters.

To find out more about the Centre for Online and Distance Education at the University of London, please visit: https://www.london.ac.uk/centre-online-distance-education

Conference Tracks 

We invite abstract submissions to our two tracks: Research and Practice.

Track 1: Research focus Conference Day 1

14 March 2024 Learning: anything, everywhere but how? Research focus

We invite abstract submission for 14 March 2024 showcasing original conceptual, methodological, empirical, or theoretical research with implications for practice in online, distance, blended, hybrid or hyflex provision.

15 March 2024 Learning; anything, everywhere but how? Practice focus

We invite abstract submission for 15 March 2024 showcasing research informed and scholarly practices in online, distance, blended, hybrid or hyflex provision.

Activity	Date
Abstract submission opens	15 September 2023
Abstract submission closes	11 December 2023
Notification of selection or rejection	29 January 2024
Notification of draft conference programme	9 February 2024
Final programme confirmed	20 February 2024
Conference	14, 15 March 2024

We are inviting proposals for:

Interactive presentations.  We expect presentations to foster discussion and sharing of ideas.  30 minutes including 10 mins discussion. Online or in person.

Workshops. We expect workshops to be fully participatory and will be for groups sizes of up to approximately 40 participants. Examples of workshop activities may involve demonstrations, debate, breakout discussions and reporting. 60 mins. In person only.

Lightning talks. Lightning talks are suitable for short presentations. They are ideal for sharing aspects of innovation, ideas, approaches, and findings, to test out part of a project/evaluation or to get feedback on an aspect of your work. 5 min talk with 10 mins discussion. Online or in person.

Presentations and lightning talks will be grouped with common themes. 

All proposals must include a title of up to 12 words, the names, and affiliations of presenters, up to 6 key words and a brief description as follows:

Indicate whether your submission is for Track 1: Research focus, or Track 2: Practice Focus

Identify which sub-theme(s) you are addressing:

• Emerging pedagogies & methodologies
• Emergent technologies
• Belonging and wellbeing
• Assessment for learning
• Internationalisation and transnational education

Conference format	What to include in your proposal
Presentation	Provide a summary of your presentation topic including what your audience will learn from it and why it is significant.
Workshop	Provide a summary of your workshop topic including what activities your audience will do during the workshop, what they will learn from the workshop and why it is significant.
Lightning	Provide a summary of your topic including what your audience will learn from it and why it is significant.

 

In writing your abstract, use inclusive language - text should be free from prejudiced or discriminatory views of particular people or groups.

We are strongly committed to providing a conference that represents the full diversity of our communities and welcome abstract submission from all. 

Abstracts submitted to our research track, will be reviewed by a panel of Fellows from the Centre for Online and Distance Education.

You should aim to include research questions (if applicable), methodological/theoretical/conceptual perspective(s) taken, a statement concerning the significance of the work and its contribution to the field, data sources used (if applicable), methods, and findings. Include any implications of your research for policy or practice.

Reviewing criteria Research Track: clarity and focus; originality; rigour; adherence to the conference themes; significance of the research for educational practice, policy, or theory.

Abstracts submitted to our practice focus track, will be reviewed by a panel of Fellows from the Centre for Online and Distance Education.

You should include the context, the approach taken and the impact. Discuss how your work links to our conference theme and sub-themes. We recommend that you take an evidence informed approach and where possible include research and scholarship that supports your work. You may wish to include implications for policy.

Reviewing criteria Practice Track: clarity and focus; adherence to the conference themes; demonstration of innovation; transferability of the ideas and approaches; demonstration of research/scholarship/evidence informed practice

Publication

A conference report, to include all selected abstracts, will be curated and made available along with video recordings of sessions on the CODE website after the conference.

Conference Proceedings will be published separately. Authors of selected abstracts (from both the research and practice tracks) will be invited to submit full papers for peer review and consideration for inclusion in the conference proceedings.